Throughput is an important parameter that network designers want to maximize while designing hierarchical wireless networks. Conventionally, throughput is increased by using power control or by using directional antennas. Throughput is increased by controlling the power at which a node transmits. This reduces the area that is blocked out by transmission by the node; therefore, more concurrent transmissions can be done in the same area by working with reduced transmission power. However this approach leads to weak links and high data loss since power levels are low. Throughput may be increased by deploying directional antennas. Directional Antennas reduce the area blocked by a particular RF transmission by directing the transmission in a particular direction. Therefore, other nodes can continue transmissions that are not conflicting spatially. However, this method requires either accurate alignment between the transmitter and receiver antenna or multiple antennas whose input can be controlled to form a beam.
These problems have often been mitigated by using multiple non-interfering channels for transmission. Multiple non-interfering channels allow simultaneous transmissions which are proportional to the number of channels in use thereby increasing throughput. Such hierarchical wireless networks involve an initial negotiation phase during which nodes of the hierarchical wireless networks negotiate the channels to use for subsequent data transmission. The negotiations are done on a control channel or a default channel. Such an approach drastically impacts bandwidth usage on a channel. Further, in some such hierarchical wireless networks neighbor information is passed to a root node where root node calculates channels to be used by nodes and then sends back the information to the nodes. The calculations that are done at the root node are complex and may consume a considerable amount of time. Such an approach impacts the efficiency of the network. Moreover, nodes in such hierarchical wireless networks use multiple radios for communicating on multiple channels to take care of control signals and data signals. Such an approach may impact the costs involved in utilizing the hierarchical wireless network.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system for increasing throughput in a hierarchical wireless network which uses multiple channels and also addresses at least some of the shortcomings of past and present techniques of communication between wireless devices.